Every other day, there’s another article warning travelers that this will be the busiest summer for air travel ever. (Here, have another article. On the house.) As we’ve heard, planes will be full, security lines will be long, and tempers will flare.

The Air Line Pilots Association now adds another wrinkle: They say that U.S. airlines, especially United, don’t have enough pilots.

“If a hub goes down because of thunderstorms, it totally changes the schedule and guys run out of time,” said Capt. Steve Derebey, a spokesman for ALPA, which represents about 6,350 United pilots. “The system backs up and schedules go out the window. Towards the end of the month, you can run out of reserves.”

Great, another thing to make travel harder, and out of travelers’ control.

Most news reports offer the same tips to reduce your risk: check in online, get there early, pack light (under 50lbs per checked bag), use skycaps to check luggage, etc. (Consider these tips for finding the shortest security line, too.)

But one suggestion for reducing your risk is rarely voiced: Whenever possible, schedule your flights for as *early in the day* as you can arrange. Delays tend to be cumulative, so afternoon and evening flights suffer more from the day’s ripple effects than morning flights. The earlier you can get to the airport, the better your odds of avoiding delays and cancellations. Whenever possible, strongly consider standing by for earlier flights, too.

And United might strongly consider hiring some more pilots…

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